Qalandars vs Sultans: Can the league newcomers make it two wins out of two?

Confident after yesterday's unexpected seven-wicket win, Multan Sultans are going to face Lahore Qalandars in the third fixture of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) to be played in Dubai on Friday evening.

Though the Sultans are the new team on the block, their ability to ruffle the opponents' feathers was apparent in the PSL 2018's opening match.

On the other hand, Lahore Qalanders — who have been arguably the competition's worst side in the past two seasons — have now bolstered their line-up with the addition of Australian batsman Chris Lynn and left-handed Mustafizur Rehman among other measures.

Today's match is likely to be a tough fight as the Sultans have already shown their strength and the Qalandars are also expected to show their maximum potential.

A glance at Multan Sultans' compositions shows that they have assembled a sharp looking squad, leaving almost no loopholes. T20 veteran Shoaib Malik is leading the squad. The team is also equipped with run-machines like Pollard, Ahmed Shehzad, Darren Bravo, Kumar Sangakkara, Sohaib Maqsood and globetrotter Tanvir. With this composition, batting is their strongest suit.

Similarly, the Qalandars seem to be fully prepared for the challenge ahead. To overcome their shortcomings — resulting in an average performance in the PSL 2017 — the Qalandars with the help of Shoaib Akhtar have nurtured a fine blend of both batting and bowling. The core of their side is comprised of Brendon Mccullum, Umar Akmal, Sunil Narine, Fakhar Zaman, Yasir Shah and Chris Lynn. Teenage sensation Shaheen Shah Afridi and left-handed Mustafizur Rehman have made the bowling attack of the team more sharpen than before.

Multan Sultans

Shoaib Maik (captain), Ahmed Shehzad, Sohaib Maqsood, Abdullah Shafiq, Darren Bravo, Saif Badar, Umar Siddiq, Shan Masood, Sohail Tanvir, Kieron Pollard, Kashif Bhatti, Ross Whiteley, Kumar Sangakkara, Nicholas Pooran, Umar Gul, Mohammad Irfan, Junaid Khan, Imran Tahir (cover: Thisara Perera), Irfan Khan, Mohammad Abbas, and Hardus Viljoen.

Lahore Qalanders

Brendon McCullum (captain), Cameron Delport, Fakhar Zaman, Sohail Akhtar, Chris Lynn, Aamer Yamin, Bilawal Bhatti, Bilal Asif, Anton Devcich (replaced Angelo Mathews), Umar Akmal, Gulraiz Sadaf, Sohail Khan, Sunil Narine, Yasir Shah, Ghulam Mudassar, Mitchell McClenaghan, Raza Hasan, Mustafizur Rahman (cover: Dinesh Ramdin), Shaheen Afridi and Imran Khan.

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Pakistan retain top T20 ranking after ICC error

Australian cricket chiefs have clarified that Pakistan still top the Twenty20 world rankings, despite Australia's victory in the T20 tri-series also featuring New Zealand and England.

Cricket Australia said this week that Australia would take the number one spot if they were unbeaten in the tri-series, a feat they achieved with a 19-run win over New Zealand in Auckland on Wednesday.

But in a statement late Thursday, it said a “clerical error” by the International Cricket Council meant the calculation was wrong and Pakistan retain the number one ranking.

When ratings points were rounded off, it said, Australia were second on 125.65, 0.19 points behind Pakistan on 125.84.

It means Australia have still not been rated the number one T20 side in the world since the shortest form of the game began in 2011.

Australia are currently ranked third in Tests and fifth in one-dayers

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00:09

Three-nation tourney to serve as impetus for major events: Hasan Sardar

KARACHI: The first batch of Pakistan hockey team embarks for Muscat on Sunday to compete in the three-nation tournament being played there from Feb 14 to 20.

The first batch comprises 12 players while the second batch of nine players and five team officials will fly the following day.

The national carrier has provided free return air tickets to the team and officials.

Besides Pakistan, other two nations in the event include Japan and Oman. The competition will be played on double league basis.

“All the players are physically fit and looking forward to start the year on a winning note,” former Olympian and manager-cum-head-coach Hasan Sardar  on the eve of departure at the Abdul Sattar Edhi Hockey Stadium on Saturday as the players underwent their last practice session in the camp.

Sardar said besides giving the much needed international exposure to the players, the event will also serve as impetus for the tougher assignments ahead.

He said the team is shaping well and much stress has been laid on stopping goals, conversion of penalty corners and physical fitness. “The ratio of PC conversion is bit slow and needs further improvement,” he remarked.

The former Olympian said Mubashir Ali, who emerged as highest scorer of the national hockey championship at Sukkur, has been groomed to score goals on penalty corners.

The former centre-forward, who was declared Man of the Tournament at the Mumbai World Cup in 1981-82, reiterated that he had set his sight on the Jakarta Asian Games gold that gives direct ticket to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

However, he was optimistic that a winning combination will be ready for the Commonwealth Games being held at Gold Coast, Austalia, in April.

He added that upon their return from Muscat, the players will re-assemble in the camp at the Abdul Sattar Edhi Hockey Stadium on Feb 27th or 28th to prepare for the Commonwealth Games.

Team:

Imran Butt, Mubashir Ali, Mohammad Rizwan Jr, Tasawwar Abbas, Abu Bakar, Fareed Ahmed, Mohammad Tauseeq Arshad, Umer Bhutta, Arsalan Qadir (vice-captain), Mohammad Rizwan Sr (captain), Shafqat Rasool, Amjad Ali, Faisal Qadir, Ammad Shakeel Butt, Azfar Yaqoob, Ijaz Ahmed, Ali Shan, Atiq Arshad, Shajeeh Ahmed, Atif Mushtaq and Tazeem-ul-Hasan.

Officials:

Hasan Sardar (manager-cum-head coach), Mohammad Saqlain and Rehan Butt (coaches), Shahid Ali Khan (goal-keeping coach), Nadeem Lodhi (video analyst), Waqas Mahmood (physiotherapist).

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00:41

Sindh home minister says security promised for PSL 2018 final delivered in rehearsal today

Sindh Home Minister Sohail Anwar Siyal on Sunday said that the Sindh Government has delivered on its promise and is hopeful that all concerned parties will be satisfied with the arrangements made for the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2018 final to be conducted in Karachi.

The comments were made while the home minister visited the National Stadium during a dress rehearsal for the final was underway in the metropolis. The final itself is expected to be held in Karachi on March 25.

"We have delivered all the promises we made for the security of the final; all security agencies have come together to make this event possible," Siyal said.

He added: "I hope this arrangement satisfies the ICC team that is visiting the country to review the preparations we have made. We will take any suggestions they make into consideration and hope that the final will take place in Karachi."

At least 8,000 personnel of different law enforcement agencies participated in the rehearsal, which took place in two parts: the first leg of the rehearsal stretched from the airport to the hotel, where the teams will be staying, while the second leg took place from the hotel to Karachi's National Stadium.

The city government had provided paramedic staff and fire brigade services for the rehearsal, while a control room had been created to monitor the movement of each and every person present in and around the stadium.

"We have 80 cameras set up in and round the stadium. These cameras are capable of zooming in on the crowd so everyone present in the stadium will be monitored," Qaisar Abbas, a member of the monitoring team, told DawnNews.

"Anyone who passes through any gate of the stadium will be passing in front of camera for facial recognition," Abbas said.

On the basis of the successful conduct of the rehearsal, recommendations will be made to the Federation of International Cricketers' Association, which will then decide whether or not to allow foreign players to participate in the PSL final.

A total of 34 matches will be played across different venues in Dubai, Sharjah and Lahore.

During the season, all teams will play against each other twice before the top four teams qualify for the play-off stage.

Last year, the PSL Season 2 final was held at Lahore's Gaddafi Stadium amid tight security.

It was seen by some as a watershed moment in Pakistan's cricketing history as it saw several foreign cricketers visit Pakistan under tight security years after a gun-and-bomb attack on a Sri Lankan side in Lahore.

Since the PSL 2 final, a World XI side and a Sri Lanka side have also played in Lahore. The PSL 2018 final is seen as the next step in PCB's long-term plan to bring international cricket back to the cricket-deprived nation.

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